


Camp Avonlea

by afewmistakesago



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M, Fluff, No Curse AU, Rumbelle - Freeform, Rumbelle AU - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-02
Updated: 2015-07-06
Packaged: 2018-04-02 11:38:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 15,780
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4058596
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/afewmistakesago/pseuds/afewmistakesago
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Colton Gold is a divorced lawyer in New York City, trying to make his son, Baelfire, have the best summer possible. What he didn’t count on was parent’s day changing his whole view on life - from seeing Bae’s first crush to meeting someone who was somehow interested in him. Belle French is a perky camp director with a big heart and plenty of love to share.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Introducing Camp Avonlea

**Author's Note:**

> Introducing the Rumbelle Camp! Verse. It’s purely fluff. Belle’s a camp director who had the position thrust on her unexpectedly, and Gold’s a dedicated parent to his young son, Baelfire. I’d love to take prompt’s for Belle’s misadventures as a counselor, or Gold having to step in as a counselor for some reason.

Sending his son to camp had seemed like a good idea. After the divorce, Colton Gold had received full custody over Baelfire, his twelve year old son. He was a bright boy for his age, really. He loved to read, play video games, eat… typical kid stuff. But Colton was a lawyer in New York City, something that didn’t allow for a lot of free time. He had adjusted his hours to be fewer, freeing up nights and weekends to spend with his son. He had handled the divorce fairly well. Milah and Colton’s screaming matches were kept behind closed doors, but it was Milah’s affair with another man that led Colton to file the papers. It was for the best. 

As their first summer as a duo approached, Colton was inundated with flyers from his son for various camps that he could attend that summer. Baelfire didn’t want to spend a whole summer sitting in their house, and Colton understood. So, he picked the one that they had discussed the most and dropped him off with sunscreen, bug spray, a fishing pole and a duffel bag containing every item mentioned on the packing list. He would be gone for three weeks. The whole month of June, Colton would have to himself. He’d miss his boy, but there were experiences he couldn’t get with his father that he could get at camp.

Camp Avonlea promised everything Baelfire had been itching to do that New York City couldn’t offer – swimming, hiking, archery, the works. Colton had expected one or two letters from his son while he was at camp. Halfway through the event, parents were invited to attend parent’s day, and Colton eagerly anticipated visiting his only son.

When the day finally arrived, Colton made the four hour drive and went to the visitor’s center. He was greeted by a perky brunette, who knew who he was before he said his name.

“Hi there! You must be Baelfire’s dad, right?” she said, reaching to shake his hand. When he nodded to confirm who his son was, she continued, “I could tell because you have the same eyes. I’m Belle French, executive camp director. Nice to meet you! I hope you enjoy your visit,” she said, moving on to the next parent who was entering.

A small figure came hurtling at Colton from the pack of children awaiting their parents. Baelfire was at his waist instantaneously, engulfing him in a hug.

“Woahh! It’s good to see you too, Bae,” said Colton, ruffling Baelfire’s hair as he hug looked down at his boy. Was it possible he’d grown in the two weeks he’d been gone? 

“Dad! You have to come meet my counselor, David. He’s like, the coolest, ever. And did you meet Ms. Belle? Isn’t she like,” he lowered his voice to a whisper, “a total babe?”

“Baelfire!” Colton scolded, “I never taught you to talk about women that way!”

Baelfire blushed, suddenly bashful. “That’s just what the older kids say, I don’t know…”

“C’mon, let’s go meet this awesome David guy,” he said, nudging his son towards the group of adults wearing shirts that proudly declared them to be ‘STAFF’.

-  
David did turn out to be a likeable young man. He was full of compliments about Bae, and Colton swelled with pride. He felt fully comfortable leaving his son with David the next two weeks, a burden lifted from his shoulders (not that he doubted the camp in the first place, but parents do worry).

Later in the day, after a presentation on with plenty of photos of all the children doing all sorts of traditional campfire activities, the kids were released for free time and the parents were given a free time of sorts, as well. Colton didn’t feel like making polite conversation with the other adults, and instead found himself focused on watching Baelfire play with the other kids. He wasn’t antisocial at home, per say, but he didn’t have a lot of friends and Colton did want to make sure he was interacting okay with the other kids here.

He picked a nice bench in a shady area and observed his son running and laughing and tossing a ball with a few other friendly-enough looking kids. Suddenly, he was not alone on his bench. Belle French, the executive director, was next to him, and she offered him a water bottle.

“Gotta stay hydrated, Mr. Gold,” she said, reclining on the bench to watch the kids with him.

“I suppose so,” he said, not sure why she was joining him.

“Your wife couldn’t attend today?” she asked in an innocent tone of voice.

“Divorced,” he answered shortly.

She frowned. “Is that why you’re making sure he’s alright? Scared the divorce left him unable to make friends?”

Seeing his confused expression, she quickly said, “I was a psychology minor. Library science major.”

He paused. “Oh. Yeah. I guess I am just making sure, you know, that he has friends. I worry.”

“He really is a great kid, you know? The counselors love him. The campers love him. We’re hoping he’ll return next year,” she said. Ahh, that’s why she was here. To get him to give her money in advanced for the next year.

“Thank you, Ms. French,” he said, pleased with her compliment, but not making any promises on his summer plans for the next year. “How’d you wind up as executive camp leader?”

She looked away from him and watched the kids in the distance. “My mom died,” she said softly, “and she left the place to me.”

It was his turn to feel insensitive.

“Don’t apologize,” she continued, “I probably would’ve ended up here anyway, just not at this point in my life. I love every minute of it.”

They stopped talking to see the kids had begun to yell about something. It seemed Baelfire was chasing a little brunette girl around.

Colton began to move, but Belle reached her arm out and said, “don’t!”

He shot her a look, but sat back down. Belle was watching his son chase the girl with a happy look on her face.

“Baelfire has a crush, we think.”

“We?”

“Me, David, Jefferson, Mary Margaret, Emma… all the other counselors who interact with them. Her name is Wendy. She’s a cute girl.”

“He’s too young to have a crush,” he said, refusing to believe his son could like a girl. Hadn’t he just learned how to ride a bicycle? There was no way he liked this Wendy girl.

“Never too young to think someone’s nice. Besides, they’ll only know each other for a couple more weeks. It’s sweet, it’s innocent, it’s young love. Let them chase.”

“If you say so,” he said worriedly, thinking his son was growing up too fast. 

“Although, if he begins to egg her on too much we’ll end it. The statement ‘boys will be boys’ isn’t tolerated here, and we believe boys should be able to handle themselves respectfully around girls,” she said, taking a serious tone.

“Agreed. Fully agreed. He should know how to respect girls,” said Colton, keeping a careful eye on his son. It seemed he had stopped chasing Wendy, and now they were standing next to each other in a large circle playing something called “ninja”. 

They settled back in to silence. Colton found his eyes drifting over to his bench partner. She was short, but her legs were tanned and well-defined, no doubt from working outside with kids all day. Her curly brown hair was up in a ponytail, and her eyes were the clearest blue he’d ever seen. “Bae was right,” he thought, “she is a babe.”

Of course, he was only going to see her for a few more hours and then maybe on pick-up day. And she lived hours away. And she was a children’s camp director, for god’s sake.

A little girl approached them.

“Yes, Grace?” said Belle, leaning towards the little girl.

“Can you play with us?”

Belle smiled sweetly, and looked at Colton. “I’ll play, only if Mr. Gold plays, too.”

He smirked. “I’m too old for games. But I’ll play, if you start calling me Colton.”

A deal had been struck. The little girl, Grace, grabbed Belle’s hand and led her to a group of children who were playing tag. A game he could understand. Unfortunately, it seemed the children’s intent was to make the adults “it” as many times as possible, and he spent a lot more time running then he had in recent days. After a few go-rounds, he decided to take a time out.

“You’re a good sport, Colton,” said Belle, siding up next to him on the sidelines again.

“I’m trying to be a good dad,” he said, watching as Baelfire continued to play with the kids. “This is the happiest I’ve seen him in a while. You’re running a good operation, Ms. French.”

“My friend’s call me Belle.”

“Are you friends with all the parents?”

“Just the ones with nice accents and handsome faces,” she said with a smirk.

If he wasn’t mistaken, she was flirting with him. He hadn’t been flirted with in years. Colton automatically assumed he was over-thinking her friendliness, and shrugged the thought of her being interested off.

“You’re running a good operation, Belle,” he said, adding extra emphasis to her first name.

One of the other counselors, whose name tag read ‘Mary Margaret’ came up to Belle holding a camper’s hand, reporting something about a bee sting. Belle frowned and shot Colton an apologetic look as she took the boy’s hand and moved towards the building labeled “CLINIC”.

-  
He didn’t see her again until dinner. He wasn’t actively looking for her, really, just scanning the crowd of heads every now and then to see if one of the long tables was occupied with her distinctive “FEARLESS LEADER” t-shirt. 

Baelfire was seated next to him, digging in to his plate of spaghetti. 

“Hungry from all the running, huh?” Colton asked, looking at his son feeling a sense of pride.

“Yeah,” he said, looking further at his plate as Wendy’s parents sat across from them.

“And,” he whispered in to his son’s ear, “chasing Wendy around?”

“Dad!” Baelfire exclaimed, punching his dad on the shoulder.

Colton laughed, and felt someone sit on his other side.

“Hi, Colton and Baelfire! Hi Wendy, and Mr. and Mrs. Darling!” Belle beamed, going on to name everyone at their section of the table.

After greetings had been exchanged, Colton noted Belle didn’t have any food with her.

“Not hungry?” he asked.

“No,” she explained, “I’m too nervous to eat. I get nervous around adults. Kids, I’m fine. Adults? Adults are older and wiser than me and they scare me. I have to give a speech before the parent’s leave and it terrifies me.”

“You did fine talking to me earlier,” he said with a smile. She was being ridiculous.

“Well,” she said, leaning over to bump his shoulder with her shoulder playfully, “you’re easy to talk to.”

Baelfire was observing this interaction with wide eyes. He tapped Colton’s shoulder, and leaned up to whisper, “you should go for it with Ms. Belle.”

Colton gave his son a “be quiet” kind of look and turned back to his plate.

“You know,” Belle said loudly, “I live in New York City with some friends when school is in session and the camp is closed. I work part time at a library there.”

“Really? We live in New York, Ms. Belle! You can come visit!” Baelfire said happily, nudging his dad’s shoulder.

“We do,” Colton confirmed, “and if you want to visit, that’s up to you.”

“I’ll think about it,” Belle said with a smile. It looked like she was about to say something else, but David approached her with a few parents that had questions about dietary specifications and camp sanitary practices. She answered their questions with grace, and then turned back to her table. The meal continued with relative ease, and everyone made polite chat. Belle couldn’t stay for dessert; she had to help Mary Margaret set up a PowerPoint that would lay out the rest of the camp’s schedule for the parents to review.

Belle’s closing activities and speech went off without a hitch. Colton was distracted though, thinking that she really must be interested if she mentioned that she lived where the Gold family lived. Could he do it? Could he ask her out? It would take some courage on his part. The romantic part of his brain was filled with dust. It had been replaced with divorce facts.

It seemed he didn’t need to worry about it. As the parents hugged their children goodbye, Belle made her way toward the Gold boys. Colton had been lecturing Baelfire on the necessity of deodorant when the tiny woman tapped his shoulder. She really was cute. Oh man.

“Colton,” she said in a quiet voice so the other parents wouldn’t hear, “it was fun to get to know you today. Here’s my number.” She handed him a small piece of paper with the camp’s business card.

“You want me too…” he said, lost for words.

“Call her, dad!” said Baelfire, pumping his fists in the air.

Belle laughed. “Call me, Colton,” she said, giving him a quick side hug and stepping away towards the camp counselors who were watching her. When she got to them, Belle nodded her head and they all looked at him and smiled. 

“Everyone wants you two to get together,” Baelfire confided.

Colton gave his son one last hug, and nodded to Belle as she waved the parent’s goodbye. What a difference a day had made. It would be a fun summer for both of the Gold men, it seemed.


	2. We Meet Again

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More background on Colton’s character. Colton works up his courage and calls Belle, despite his fears about what calling her means. Although it’s awkward at first, they wind up talking more and more on the phone. Colton goes to pick Baelfire up from camp, and meets up with Belle before they leave. She’s exhausted, but they have a nice chat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this will be a chaptered story now. Let me know what you think. :)

Before his divorce, Colton was on top of his game. Post-divorce, Colton resigned himself to fewer hours, taking over a role that required more paperwork and less office hours. After his divorce, his coworkers watched his usual easy grin and quick wit change in to a cautious and almost shy demeanor. When his wife left, she took his personality with him, it seemed. He declined invitations to go out after work; he only had time for his son. Nobody could deny how much Colton cared for his son (both before and after the divorce), but it was a happy change when he came in with a spring in his step after taking a day off to visit his child. Something had gotten in to him, but nobody dared ask what. Most assumed it was the sight of his only child, and he wasn’t leading them on to believe it was anything else.

He knew he was being ridiculous, really. Three days had passed since he’d gotten back from visiting Camp Avonlea, and Belle French’s business card was sitting on his kitchen counter. The white card jumped off the black marble counter top, screaming for his attention every time he passed it. He couldn’t bring himself to call her. She was probably just being nice when she gave him the card. Belle had said he was handsome, but she was young and flirty and that word might not have any meaning with the youths. He wouldn’t know. She was at least ten years younger than him, and it would be absurd for him to believe she wanted to be anything more than friends. Despite his own careful reservations, he found himself smiling more at work. Even if Belle turned out to be nothing, he had gone out of his way and been social and that was progress enough. Milah’s cheating had left a thick wall around his heart, and he tended to keep his emotions guarded towards anyone that wasn’t his son. People can’t hurt you if they’re not close to you. His son, however, was his favorite person in the world, and would never see anything less than a genuine version of his father.

Following work one night, after again declining the pesky Zelena’s offer of drinks, he reheated Chinese food from the previous night and picked up the business card. It was simple, with her name and title and extension number and the camp logo. It was very nonthreatening. The connotation of him actually physically dialing the number, however, was. If he called, he would have to talk to her, and she would have to talk back. Colton worried he was building her up to be something she was not, because he’d really only talked to her for a couple hours and he wasn’t stupid enough to believe in love at first sight. Love wasn’t a word he used lightly anymore. 

As the microwave dinged, Colton pulled his cell phone out of his pocket. He had nothing to lose. If she seemed disinterested over the phone, he could just make the conversation about his son’s allergy medication, or something similar. Actually, he wondered if Bae was remembering to take his allergy medication… 

Dialing slowly, he swallowed nervously as the ringing tone began.

“Camp Avonlea, this is Marjorie Lucas. How can I help you?” said the unfamiliar voice on the other line.

Colton panicked, quickly clicking “end call” and checking the number he had dialed. He had put a ‘4’ instead of a ‘7’ on the extension. 

With even more care, he dialed again. The ringing went on for a while before someone picked up.

“Belle French,” she said, sounding out of breath.

“Ah, Belle, this is Colton Gold,” he said, beginning to pace around the kitchen.

“Colton! Hi! I just had to run to grab my phone. I think I gave you my office number, not my cell. I don’t check my office phone a lot. That’s why I’m winded,” she explained.

There was an awkward pause in the conversation.

“So, how are you?” said Belle, breaking the static silence.

“Good, good! Just…. Calling. Because you asked me to call.”

Well. He was an idiot. 

He thought he heard her laugh. “You’re right. I did,” she said. “Bae’s fine, if you’re wondering. Tonight’s the lip sync jam. Every cabin picks a song to lip sync to and the counselors pick a winner at the end of it,” she continued.

There was another pause in the conversation, and then, “Oh! Good. That sounds fun,” he said. Why did it seem like he couldn’t remember how to use complex sentences? Why was his heart pounding so fast? She seemed calm on the other end and he was a mess.

“It is! The campers love it every year,” she said.

“Okay,” thought Colton, “time to get the topic off camp.”

“How are you, though?” he asked, “are you tired from all that running you must do?”

She laughed again. “No, it’s like an adrenaline rush all the time. I love my job. It can be… challenging, at points, but overall it’s just awesome.”

He smiled. She couldn’t see him smiling, but maybe she could hear it in his voice. “I’m glad you love your job.”

“What do you do for a living, Colton?” she inquired.

He had stopped pacing at this point, sitting at a chair by his kitchen table. His food was getting cold. He didn’t care.

“I’m a lawyer. It’s whatever. I don’t want to bore you with details,” he said. He really would rather hear her voice. 

“That doesn’t sound boring at all! I was just saying – oh – I – okay,” she said, her voice now distant. He heard someone else murmuring in the background. “Colton? A counselor just informed me they’ve tied on deciding a winner and I have to go watch a rematch and choose our victor.”

“Oh, okay! Have fun.”

“Yeah, wish me luck. These kids are ruthless,” she said seriously.

“Good luck. Bye, Belle.”

“Bye,” she said, her voice gentle. “Call me back on Friday and I’ll be able to talk longer. They’re watching a movie.” She gave him her cell phone number digits quickly, and he stared at his now cold sesame chicken with a dumb smile on his face. She was far too enigmatic to be interested in him, surely, but they could at least be friends. 

So call back he did. He found their conversations growing longer and longer as the time between calls grew shorter. They were both busy people with demanding careers, but whenever Colton got home after a long day of work he would put off sleeping a little longer than he should just in case Belle called. Conversations ranged from menial things like the weather, to more on Belle’s decision to leave college and take over the camp full time after her mother’s passing. Belle insisted it was an easy decision, but Colton wondered if she told herself that a lot to try and make it true. His usual walls were being torn down over the phone by a woman he had only seen in person once. It was ridiculous. He tried to push away the rush of warmth he felt when he saw her on caller ID, and refused to think he had a crush on her. A crush? Preposterous. There was no way she could return any feelings, so having a crush would be stupid. Crushes were for children (speaking of, he wondered if anything ever happened with Bae and Wendy). Belle simply enjoyed talking to him, in a friend way.

Time seemed to fly quickly, and it was soon the day he had to pick up Baelfire from Camp Avonlea. Colton was elated to have his son back for the whole month of July, planning an itinerary of cool things to do in New York that would interest a twelve year old. If all else failed, he had a drawer full of pizza take-out coupons and knew the quickest way to the video game store. 

It took four hours to get there, and Colton’s brain was mostly just excited to see Bae again. However, Belle kept popping in to his mind. He didn’t want to seem over enthusiastic to see her. He would have to play it cool and somehow find out if she wanted to keep up their phone calls, even though he couldn’t play it off like he was calling about his son’s well-being anymore. After the first few calls he had stopped preparing himself to use that as an excuse, but still.

He pulled in to the camp parking lot, walking along the path designated by the signs leading to “CHECK OUT”. Counselors manned various alphabetized tables, with the kids gathered in the middle. Colton noted that all the kids seemed rather tired, and some were crying as they hugged their friends before departing with their parents. Packed bags lined the walls, and he found himself searching for Baelfire’s bag before noticing his son was at his side.

“Hi, dad!” he exclaimed, hugging his father warmly. Colton was so happy Baelfire wasn’t embarrassed to be seen with him. Yet.

“Hey, son,” he said, walking with him towards the “D-G” table. 

He signed the form the counselor (Mary Margaret, if he remembered right) had given him, and told Baelfire to say goodbye to whoever he needed to before they left. He looked around through the crowd of kids, then muttered “Wendy already left.” Poor boy. 

“You’re Colton Gold?” said Mary Margaret, looking from the name he had written on the paper to his face.

“Uh, yes,” he replied. 

She smirked. “So, you’re –“

Before the woman with the pixie cut could finish her sentence, Belle appeared next to her. She was in a wrinkled “FEARLESS LEADER” shirt and had a large mug of coffee in one hand. 

“Colton!” she said, coming around the table to give him a quick hug. He was overwhelmed with how she smelled – he couldn’t name it, but she smelled like summer. She had the unmistakable aroma of a bonfire, mixed with bug spray and sunscreen and something flowery. It didn’t seem like it could work, but she reminded him of nights spent looking at the stars, catching fireflies, and going to beach all in one moment.

“Let’s go help Bae with his bags, I think Mary Margaret needs to help other parents,” she suggested, smiling at Colton but glaring at her friend briefly.

They walked to where Baelfire was struggling to pick up his large duffel bag. 

“I’ve got it, dad, I can do it on my own.”

Colton raised his eyebrows at his son doubtfully. “I can help you if you need it.” 

“No,” said his son, trying to prove he could lift the heavy bag on his own. When his efforts failed, Colton slung the bag over his shoulder easily. Baelfire was stopped on their way back by a couple kids who wanted to say goodbye, and Colton dropped the bag to wait for his son. He noticed Belle was still walking with them, though she looked a bit beaten down. They looked at each other, somewhat alone for a moment as the chaos of checkout day went on around them. 

He looked at her with a puzzled expression, noticing for the first time her hair was down and unruly. “You’ve, uh, got something,” he said, reaching for a piece of something caught in her hair.

She moved her hand and brushed it out quickly. “Silly string,” she said with a frown. “The older kids have a tradition of playing pranks on the last night. There was a silly string war around 4am today.”

His eyes widened. “Four AM?”

“Yes, and it’s mostly the seventeen year old campers and the counselors. The younger kids slept through it,” she said, a way of assuring him Baelfire had not been up all night.

“Poor you, though,” he said, realizing how tired she looked with bags underneath her eyes.

“Yeah. I haven’t slept in almost 48 hours. Some girls kept me awake after friend drama, I helped a girl with her first period, a boy got the flu, the older kids trashed the arts cabin, a stupid counselor decided to tell a ghost story to the little ones, some kids tried to dye the lake green, then the silly string thing…I’m trying not to think about it,” she said, yawning like she hadn’t listed a bunch of stressful things all occurring within two days of each other.

“How are you still alive?” he said incredulously. This woman was something else. Probably Super Woman.

She smiled and pulled the Tervis tumblr she was holding closer to herself. “Lots and lots of coffee.”

Baelfire had rejoined them again after giving his friends his Steam username. Kids don’t mail each other nowadays, it appear. Just “friended” each other on various gaming sites and continued their friendships on that way. 

“Can we go home, dad?” said Baelfire, “I miss my own bed. But everything here was really fun!” he said quickly, seeing Belle was standing next to Colton.

“Of course,” said Colton, picking his son’s bag back up. “Let’s go home.”

The trio walked for a while towards the parking lot. If Belle had things she needed to be doing, she was skipping them.

When they reached the car, Colton put Bae’s bag in the trunk. He watched Baelfire climb in to the backseat with his pillow. Colton wasn’t sure if he would prefer his son tell him all about his adventures, or if he wanted his son to catch up with precious sleep he missed over the course of the camp. A cranky kid wasn’t fun wouldn’t be fun for either of them when they got home.

He turned to Belle, unsure of what to say. “Thank you, Belle, I know he had a really great time here.”

She shrugged, and simply said, “It’s my job.”

He began to speak again, unsure of how to end this small talk. She was half asleep and he was nervous. “I really enjoyed getting to know you, Belle, and…” 

She tilted her head and looked at him with an amused expression. “You’re talking like we’re never going to see each other again,” she said.

He started to stutter. Belle cut him off.

“I’ve got a weekend before the July month session comes in, and then the August week-long campers come in. I’m busy, but I’m not unreachable. You know how to call me.”

He nodded. She still wanted to talk to him. He was trying to act like this didn’t surprise him. Belle wanted him to keep calling her for friend reasons, probably. Nothing more.

Baelfire poked his head out the window. “Let’s go, dad, it’s four hours to get home!”

Colton laughed. “I’m coming, son,” he said. “Goodbye, Belle,” he said to her softly, “Go get some sleep.”

She nodded. “Will do. Safe travels,” she said, waving to Baelfire. 

Colton got in the driver’s seat, and she kept waving until they pulled out of the parking lot and on to the highway. 

Summer was just starting, it seemed. But before Belle could worry about if Colton liked her or not, she needed a serious nap.


	3. Welcome to New York

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An overview of Belle’s July. She decides to visit Colton, and spots him around town with a gorgeous woman. She goes out to dinner with him, but their evening is interrupted by one little Baelfire. 
> 
> rumpelstiltskin-wait said: the weekend before the August campers come, Belle goes to visit Colton
> 
> thegoldenspinner said: Does Belle ever see him out in NYC, maybe talking to a girl or something, and get jealous? c;

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Send prompts to earthoranyrealm on tumblr. I’d love to keep this going, but I want your help to do so. Anything is fair game. It can involve the chaptered story, or just a ficlet on Belle’s camp adventures or Colton’s parenting. Or them together.

July came and passed, and Belle kept busier than ever. Each camp session taught her new things, and this one was no different. She learned the names (or at least cabin number) of the 200 children as quickly as she could. Of course, they ranged from ages 7-17, so their dispositions and attitudes and personalities varied, but at least they all had to wear nametags. The younger campers tended to cling to her, and she didn’t mind. Belle had always gotten along well with children, and teenagers didn’t seem too against her. 

She was juggling more than she should, however, filling in for a counselor who had to run home due to a family emergency. Her responsibilities now included: planning the weekly schedules, checking things after maintenance had gotten to them, answering parent phone calls and e-mails, declaring “lights out” in every cabin, doing morning and evening announcements, AND making sure a cabin group got to and from all of their activities safely. It was a bit overwhelming. Luckily, being responsible for the cabin had only lasted for a week, but it was a week from the Black Lagoon. 

Most of the counselors were college students who had gone to camp as kids, and Belle was thankful for each one of them. They never complained when she ranted or bemoaned something that was going wrong, and let her make them do funny dances or games with the kids. She was closest to Mary Margaret, David, Anna, Will, and Ruby, but Belle was on friendly terms with all of them. She was especially grateful with that, because she remembered her mother clashing with some of the counselors, causing them to leave early, which caused a headache for the whole staff. After college, Belle had done summers as a head counselor, but when her mom died of lymphoma, the camp was willed to her.

It hadn’t always been an easy transition, but Belle would never reveal that. She accepted the position with grace, signing forms and releases and managing the finances as best she could. Her father had left her family when she was young, and this camp was her childhood and now her adulthood. Camp Avonlea, in a way, had raised her. Her mom would take Belle home to New York for the school year, then they’d return to camp a little earlier than all the campers so her mom could prepare.

After her mother’s death, Belle had dropped out of college to take control of the camp. Belle had gotten a part-time job as a library “shelve-r” during the school months to pay for a tiny apartment she shared with Ruby in the city. It was a four hour drive to get there, but she needed the city during that time period. Living in the wilderness year round would drive her crazy, but both environments provided the background noises she needed to keep going. Camp provided the bugs and frogs and birds, and the city had cars and people and music. There were pluses and minuses to both, but for now, Belle thought she enjoyed the best of both worlds.

The July session was winding down to an end, and Belle was ready for a weekend of tranquility. It seemed like the campers got louder and more energetic as the years and months went on. It probably had to do with their disinterest in returning to school, and interest in entertainment. Belle worked hard to make it as exciting for them as possible, which meant a lot of all-nighters. Mary Margaret often encouraged her to take a day off, but Belle wouldn’t allow it. She loved the kids too much to leave them alone for a day.

Her favorite time of day was free time, when the little ones would sit in the field with her and play games until dinner. Campers often gifted their arts & crafts to her, and her office was decorated colorfully with their various projects. The kids gave her crafts, and the teenagers gave her gossip. Belle wouldn’t participate too much (she couldn’t pick sides and cause any drama), but it was fun to hear what they all thought of each other. It was especially funny when they talked to her about which counselor they thought was the cutest, but they always insisted she was the nicest. It was hard to say goodbye to them, but about half the campers normally returned the next summer and she had watched some of them grow up. 

An interesting development had occurred in Belle’s life this summer. After spotting the quiet dad of a camper, Baelfire, she decided to make conversation with him. He seemed like the counter-opposite of the allergy-concerned mother who had been badgering her, and she sat down next to him. She found out his name was Colton, and he was witty and charming and handsome. She felt an immediate kind-of attraction to him, but brushed it aside. He would only be there for a day. Belle was amazed when he agreed to play with the kids with her, and did it well. Most parents laughed off her attempts to include them with games, but he was a dedicated father. A happy surprise for Belle, she found his careful attention to his son endearing. 

She wasn’t sneaky about her interest, and plopped herself down next to him at dinner. It wasn’t a feeling she could quite put her finger on, but she enjoyed the light banter they were having and didn’t want it to end. She had told Mary Margaret about her little crush on a camper’s father, thinking she would squash her tiny hope, but Mary Margaret instead encouraged her to pursue it. There was no harm in simply talking to him. 

That was the problem, though. After slipping him her business card, he had called, and they had talked. A lot. These conversations continued on even after their face-to-face encounter when he picked his son up from camp. She couldn’t tell if he was interested in her for anything more than a friendship, or if he was just being kind. It seemed like he was interested sometimes, but he could also be distant and distracted. Their conversations never hit too personal of a subject, but they always updated each other on their jobs and life in general. Of course, Belle’s life was her job, and his life was Baelfire. So camp and Baelfire were the usual topics. 

“This is so frustrating,” thought Belle, throwing her phone down on her bed after a call one night. She’d just listened to an in-depth recount of the Gold’s trip to Dylan’s Candy Bar. “I don’t know where the hell this is going. At all.” 

It was the second to last night of the July session, and tomorrow would be her all-nighter stopping pranks, and then check-out, and then a long weekend to rejuvenate between campers. August brought the quick sessions, week-longs for campers who got homesick easily. She didn’t get as attached to those kids, but they still required absolutely all of her energy. 

An idea struck. Ruby had made sure nobody would be renting their apartment on their weekends off in case they needed to escape from Camp Avonlea. She might need to go to New York City for the weekend. You know, just to check on something. The air conditioning would be a good excuse. There was nothing wrong with the air conditioning, actually, but Colton didn’t need to know that. 

She picked up her phone again and dialed his number. He picked up after one ring.

“Belle?” he said questioningly.

“Hi, Colton,” she said, “I know we just talked, but I had a question!”

He laughed. “I figured you misdialed because we had just said goodbye. What’s up?”

She took a deep breath. “Well, I need to go to my apartment in the city this weekend. My landlord just called to say something’s up with my air-conditioning, I’ve got to go talk to him about the problem.” she said.

“Oh! I hope it’s an easy fix,” he said, not sure why this involved him.

“It should be,” she assured him. It wasn’t even a real problem. “But, I was wondering if you and Baelfire are in town this weekend?”

There. He should understand now.

“Yeah, we’ll be here. Do you want to – to visit?”

She grinned as she replied, “I would love to.”

“It’s a date,” she thought happily. Well, it wouldn’t be a date. Baelfire would be there. That was okay, though. Baby steps. She hadn’t dated anyone officially since college, but she knew a couple of the male counselors would ask her out if they thought she had the time. Will had so much as told her he was interested, and the maintenance guy, Greg, had hinted he wanted to go out with her. Will was interesting, but Greg was definite no. She had Colton to think about now, so they’d both have to wait. 

-  
Colton and Belle had texted to work out the details. They decided they would go out to dinner, and Colton mentioned that Baelfire would only be there when they met at the Gold’s flat to walk to the restaurant he had picked for dinner. Bae was spending the night at a friend’s house, it seemed. Things were falling in to place perfectly.

Belle had dropped her overnight bag off at her apartment, thinking she’d only stay for one night for this, then go back to camp to help set up for the August groups. For tonight, she was wearing a simple blue sundress and wedge heels. She had gotten to the city a bit early, and decided to go to a bar, aptly called Whatever, to kill some time. With her stomach beginning to do flip-flops, she could tell she was getting nervous. A drink could help her loosen up. She passed a law firm sign on her way in, and briefly wondered if it was the one Colton worked for. She took a seat at the end of the long bar, deciding to order an iced tea instead of an actual drink. Belle didn’t want to say anything she’d regret tonight.

Someone familiar caught her eye at a nearby high top table, and she did a double take. It was Colton. Maybe it wasn’t though; it could just be another guy with – no. It was him. He was seated across from a redhead in a low-cut blouse and work pants. Probably another lawyer. She had her head thrown back as she shook with laughter, and he was laughing as well. They looked awfully friendly. 

Belle began to nervously wring one of her wrists with her other hand as she watched them from the corner of her eye, but told herself to shake off whatever she was feeling. Her heart was pounding, and she bit her lip anxiously. It wasn’t right of her to feel jealous. Colton didn’t belong to her. He was his own man, and he didn’t belong to anyone. He could date that beautiful woman and also be Belle’s friend. He had a right to do that. Belle hated herself for thinking he might’ve wanted something more – they barely knew each other. 

She quickly drank the rest of her iced tea, and left a generous tip for the bartender. She walked out of the bar quickly with her head down so he wouldn’t see her. Belle wandered through some clothes stores until it was time for her to go to the Gold’s apartment. 

Ringing the doorbell, Baelfire answered, his father close behind.

“Hi Ms. Belle!” he said excitedly. 

“Hey, bud,” she said, smiling as he gave her a quick hug. 

“Belle,” said Colton, leaning in for a hug when his son had stepped away.

She embraced him quickly, and then looked at Baelfire. “You have to tell me everything I’ve missed with you!”

Colton shot her a strange look because he had told her almost everything they’d done since they’d last seen her, but they all moved to their kitchen. Belle noticed it was all nicely decorated. Baelfire was telling her all about some video game he’d just won a difficult level on as Belle nodded encouragingly, and Colton eventually cut him off. 

“Son, I think it’s time you go to Kyle’s house,” he said, rising from the table, “so Belle and I can get to dinner.”

“Oh! Right,” he said sheepishly, unaware he had talked for so long.

Apparently, Kyle lived a few doors down, and Belle and Colton walked Baelfire there. 

Colton hugged Baelfire before releasing him to Kyle’s family’s care, and Belle could’ve sworn she heard Baelfire whisper “good luck on your daaaate” to his father. But she might also be going crazy, so she shoved the idea out of her mind. 

With Baelfire gone, they walked together to the restaurant. Colton led the way, and they didn’t talk until they’d arrived. It was a tiny place, but it seemed popular - it was busy, but Colton had made a reservation. They were whisked to their table for two by a hostess, and Belle was looking over the menu when the conversation began.

“So – how was July check out? As crazy as I remember June’s being?” he asked, watching her nervously.

She smiled. “Just about. There wasn’t anyone distracting me at this one, though,” she said in a lower voice. That was a flirty thing to say, and she knew it. 

He raised his hand to his chest, wide-eyed. “I distracted you? Belle, I believe you were the one who started talking to me.”

She shrugged. “Whatever you want to believe.”

They laughed, and Belle decided to set a rule.

“Can we not talk about camp tonight? It’s, like, all I hear about. Camp Avonlea this, Camp Avonlea that… I’m tired of it,” she confessed.

“Oh! Certainly. Not a problem,” he said. On the inside, he was panicking. The majority of the questions he had mentally prepared involved camp. 

“How’s work going?” she asked, ready for him to tell her about his date with the ginger lawyer.

He smirked slightly. “No camp talk, no lawyer talk.”

“Fair enough. What’s new in your life?”

“Since we last talked? Not much. I’m thinking about repainting the kitchen.”

“Really? I thought it looked nice.”

“My, uh, ex-wife picked the color. I always thought it was too off-white. I think I might paint it a light green,” he said.

“Oh, okay,” she said, remembering the kitchen, “that might work. But not too green.”

“You think I would really make a bad decorating decision?”

“Not sure,” Belle replied, and it was truthful. She didn’t know how much of the loft had been chosen by his ex-wife, and what parts had been redone by Colton. 

“I wouldn’t,” he assured her. “Now, what do you think you’re going to order?”

“Uhm, I’m really just a hamburger girl.” 

“Amazingly, I’m a hamburger guy.”

As soon as he’d said this, the waiter appeared to talk their order. 

Belle decided to approach a more sensitive topic. She had nothing to lose, really, aside from her pride. If she pushed too far, he would definitely mention he had a girlfriend. “Why did you get a divorce?” she asked quickly, “if you don’t want to tell me, it’s fine, I was just…”

He grimaced. “Irreconcilable differences,” he said, and when Belle frowned, he went on, “And she cheated on me.”

She shook her head, “oh my gosh, Colton, I’m so sorry.”

He shrugged. “For the best, really. I’ve got no idea where she is now. Maybe Ireland? Somewhere with her boyfriend.”

“I don’t know why anyone would cheat on you,” she said, leaning towards him, “you seem like a keeper.”

“Guess not to her.”

From this, the conversation transitioned in to a discussion over how Colton had won full custody of Baelfire. From the twinkle in his eyes when he mentioned the boy, it was clear his son was his world. It was precious. 

Colton’s phone began to ring. “It’s Kyle’s mom,” he said, looking puzzled.

He answered the call, said “okay” a few times, and then “I’ll be right there.”

Belle stared at him, and knew it couldn’t be good. “That was Kyle’s mother. Baelfire feels sick, apparently, so I’ll have to cut this dinner short. I’m sorry I didn’t get to eat with you, but…” 

“No! Don’t feel bad. He needs you,” said Belle, pulling some cash out of her wallet. 

“I’m paying,” said Colton, waving his hand to the waiter and handing him his card.

“Then at least let me leave the tip,” Belle insisted. 

The waiter came back with the check for Colton to sign. “Would you like the burgers to go, instead? They’re about to come up,” said the waiter.

Colton raised his eyebrows and turned to Belle. “Picnic at my place?”

A picnic it was. Belle sat at the kitchen table, eating her hamburger as Colton took Baelfire to his room to rest.

“I don’t think he’s sick,” said Colton as he returned to the room.

“Why’s that?”

“He told me he had candy for dinner, then a lot of soda, then ran around Kyle’s house,” he replied. 

“Sounds like something the campers at the infirmary with stomachaches would say,” said Belle sympathetically.

“Yeah. He’ll be fine,” said Colton, sitting down next to her to dig in to his food.

They sat in a comfortable silence for a while, enjoying their meals. Belle got tired of the thought of his possible girlfriend swirling around in her mind, and decided to get on with it and ask Colton about his relationship status.

“So, when you and Baelfire go out to museums and stuff, does your girlfriend go with?”

He looked at her curiously. “My girlfriend? I don’t have a girlfriend.”

She stared at him. “I was at that bar earlier, Whatever, I think it’s called, and I saw you there. With a woman.”

He began to smile. “Oh, my gosh, you saw me with Zelena. My girlfriend? No. She’s been pestering me to go out with her for months on end, so I finally agreed to get her off my case. I tried being terrible to get her to go away, but she just laughed at everything I said,” he said. 

Belle blushed. “Oh, I just assumed.”

“She’s exasperating,” he said seriously.

“I didn’t know”, said Belle, feeling stupid for bringing it up.

“No, it’s okay. We’ve never talked about current relationships, so…” he shrugged.

This was probably where Belle was supposed to say something about how she was single. “I’m single,” she blurted quickly.

He nodded. “Then we’re both on the same page,” he said, but before he could continue, Baelfire entered the kitchen. He was adorably wearing Cars pajamas.

“I don’t feel sick anymore, dad,” he said. 

Colton eyed his son suspiciously. “Really? Are you sure you don’t need to go to bed now?”

“Dad, it’s only eight o’clock.” 

“It is, but you were so sick you had to come home from Kyle’s.”

Baelfire remained silent.

“Maybe he just missed his dad,” said Belle. Some younger campers often felt sick when they missed their parents.

“No! I just…. I just wanted to go home,” he confessed.

“Bae, you could’ve just called and told me.”

His son shrugged again.

“What should we do then, the three of us?” said Colton, looking from Belle to Baelfire.

“You mean I can hang out with you guys?” 

“Sure, but if one of us is sick tomorrow, you’re paying the doctor’s bills,” said Colton jokingly.

Baelfire went in to another room and brought back a video game. “Can we race?”

The trio moved to the couch in the living room, playing Mario Kart. Baelfire came in first, Colton second, and Belle always fell terribly behind because she could never remember how to start the car. It had been ages since she’d sat and played a video game.

It was so fun, though, to sit in between the competitive father and son as they went around the virtual tracks. When Baelfire’s Mario was declared the overall winner, the boy was beginning to yawn.

“Okay, I think it’s someone’s bed time, for real,” said Colton, helping Baelfire off the couch.

“I should get going, too,” said Belle, getting up as well.

“It’s no bother if you want to stay later,” said Colton quickly, watching Baefire leave the room. 

“Nah. I’m exhausted,” she said. And it was the truth. She was exhausted, mentally and physically. Her stomach was somersaulting every time his deep brown eyes met hers, and her body ached from a month of running around camp. 

Colton walked by her to the door. “It was really lovely to have you over, even if it didn’t go as planned.”

“I had a really nice time. Thank you, Colton. And tell Baelfire I’ll try and brush up my racing skills for next time,” she said with a wink.

“Next time?”

“Well, after August, I’ll be in town all the time, so…”

He smiled at her. She smiled back. This was her moment, her chance to tell him she wanted to be more than friends with him. Tonight definitely wasn’t a date, but it was something.

“I hope your air-conditioning is alright,” he said quickly, and she was confused until she remembered. That was the excuse she’d used. 

“Yeah, me too,” she said with a sigh.

“Good night, Colton,” Belle said, stepping out of the apartment.

“Good night, Belle.”

As she walked off, she wondered if she considered that night a success or not. Belle wasn’t sure this could go on as anything more than a friendship. That was okay, but it was disappointing. She wanted to hold his hand, not keep the careful distance from each other they had. They were still friends, at least. Just two single people who happened to live four hours apart from each other during the summer months.


	4. Triple Dates and Legal Trouble

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Belle goes out for a triple date plus one with some camp counselors. Later, she calls Colton when she fears the camp might be in legal trouble, and he makes the drive to visit with her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Look at these two idiots mutually think the other doesn’t have feelings for them! I will take prompts for this ‘verse at earthoranyrealm on tumblr.

Session One in August had gone smoothly, especially since Belle had carefully carved room in the budget to hire someone to answer phones and e-mails for her. It was the perfect part-time job for someone at the local college, and Merida had fit right in at the staff meetings. Belle hoped to have her return for the full summer next year, because it was a blessing to have one less thing on her plate every single day. Belle was showing Merida how to organize the files for Session Two one Saturday when her office was invaded by some of the counselors.

“We’re sneaking out,” declared Mary Margaret.

“And we’re kidnapping you!” said Will, taking Belle’s hand to help her from the chair behind her desk.

“Guys, I really need to get everything ready for the next session,” said Belle, looking at the papers strewn about her desk.

Merida smiled at her. “I can handle it, Belle. You deserve a night off.”

Belle bit her lip. She looked at Mary Margaret. “Who’s going?”

“Me, David, Anna, Kristoff is meeting us there, Ruby, and Will. And you.”

They all looked at her hopefully. Belle bit her lip, trying to decide if she should go with them. There was a lot to do at camp, but she hadn’t had any non-camp food in while. Maybe she did deserve a change in scenery. With all of her friends’ eyes on her, she gave a slight nod. They cheered as they rushed out the door and to the large van the camp owned.

David drove them to the local Steak & Shake, conveniently located half an hour away, and everyone chatted loudly, trying to out-story tell each other. Belle was seated in the back row with Will next to her, Anna and Ruby were in the next row, and Mary Margaret was in the passenger seat. Anna was excitedly texting her boyfriend, Kristoff, who would join them at the restaurant. Belle had grown up calling Anna her cousin, because their mothers had been so close. They weren’t family, but it felt like it. Belle felt worn out and liked listening to her friend’s talk, so she kept quiet as everyone went back and forth with their camp stories.

“Hey!” said Ruby, snapping Belle out of her daydream. “I’m going to be like, the seventh wheel.”

Belle frowned, trying to figure out who Ruby was matching her up with. Mary Margaret and David had been fairly serious for a few years, Anna and Kristoff were dating, but she wasn’t dating anyone in the car – oh. But Will wanted to date her. She looked over at him, and found he was already watching her. He gave her a quiet smile, moving to sit a little closer to her so they were almost touching.

“Don’t worry about it, Ruby,” said Mary Margaret from the front, “I’m pretty sure Will and Belle aren’t exclusive yet.”

Ruby laughed, and Anna turned to wink at Belle. Belle smiled bashfully. Will was really a great guy, the campers loved him, and he was pretty cute. But every time she looked at him, someone else came to mind. Someone else with deep brown eyes named Colton Gold. But Colton wasn’t here, and Will was. Colton was four hours away, and Will was next to her. Colton hadn’t made any kind of indication that he wanted to be more than her friend in their last phone calls, and Belle had pretty much brushed aside any notion that he might want to be more than that.

Pulling up at the Steak & Shake, the young adults were delighted to find it was almost empty. Anna practically ran into Kristoff’s waiting arms, kissing him passionately, like it had been years since they’d seen each other. The group laughed at them and sat down, and sure enough, Will was next to Belle.

The service at Steak & Shake was always laughable slow, and none of them were sure why it was their go-to on a night off, but it was tradition. Everyone ordered milkshakes to begin with. Belle’s M&M milkshake was halfway gone when she proposed a toast. She felt free from the stress of her position. Camp Avonlea was far away, and she was having a good time with her friends.

“Everyone, I’d like to propose a toast. To me getting out of my office, and to all of you for being such great counselors and friends!” Belle proclaimed.

The group laughed, clinking milkshake glasses.

“No more camp talk, please,” implored Kristoff with a wink. Kristoff and Anna had met at camp, but he worked for his dad’s company during the summer instead of being a counselor. Not that Belle held it against him. Mary Margaret was seated across from Belle, and she leaned in conspiratorially. “Did anything ever happen with that camper’s dad?”

Only Ruby knew Belle had visited Colton when she’d gone to New York. Everyone else was under the impression that something really had been wrong with her air conditioner. Belle shrugged demurely. “He’s not here, is he?”

Mary Margaret high-fived her. “Right on, sister,” she said, before turning to whisper something to David.

“You had something with a camper’s dad?” asked Will, sounding confused. She hadn’t told any of the male counselors about calling him once or twice a week for fear of being teased. Only the girls knew about her little crush, which was now not even a crush. She was moving on, she was going to date someone who was real and presently involved in her life.

Belle pursed her lips. “It might’ve been something. But it’s not. And I’m here with you, right?” she said, reaching her hand to rest on top of his.

“Yeah,” he said, repositioning himself to sit a little straighter.

The night went on, with everyone sharing their food and putting on the silly paper hats that the restaurant gave to children. The waiter probably thought they were teenagers, not camp counselors whose ages ranged from 22 to 28. Leaving the restaurant after a couple hours, Kristoff and Anna said their dramatic goodbyes as the camp counselors made fake-gagging noises. They were the most mature group of people Belle knew. Working with kids for a whole summer had really worn off on them.

Will walked her back to her office before saying goodnight. She didn’t drop his hand when he held it, but didn’t give him any indication that she wanted to kiss him, and he didn’t try. Belle was thankful for that. She returned to her office quietly, finding Merida had diligently finished everything she had left unfinished. She retired to her cabin happily; confident that Session Two would go well.

It did go well, really, until a particularly rambunctious camper had broken his arm and required surgery on the second to last day of camp. His parents were rather unpleasant to deal with, and viciously assured Belle that she would hear from their lawyers in the upcoming weeks. They also insisted that people would be altered of the dangers of the camp. It was ridiculous because there were no dangers in the camp, and Belle knew that. She was still nervous, though, and any extra money she had to get advice from a lawyer had gone down the drain when she hired Merida.

It was a good thing she knew a lawyer.

\---

Colton had been expecting Belle’s phone call, but he hadn’t expected her to be asking him for legal advice. After she had visited him and Baelfire, he hadn’t seen Belle in person again. He could certainly help her, and even offered to make the drive to check the scene of the so-called crime. Belle had immediately accepted his offer to visit the camp, but questioned where Baelfire would be.

“Bae’s camping with his friend this weekend, actually, so I’m on my own.”

“You don’t like camping?” asked Belle.

“Bad ankle,” he said shortly. “I can’t walk for too long without having to sit down, and the doctor doesn’t exactly recommend traipsing around a forest for a few days.”

Belle was quiet for a moment. “But you played tag with the kids here.”

“Right. Baelfire was there and watching me. I put on a brave face for him. I don’t want him to think I’m weak,” he said, sounding brittle. Belle could tell it was a sore subject, so she switched the topic, thanking Colton again for the favor and for volunteering to drive all the way to Camp Avonlea. 

Colton got up early Saturday morning, driving the four hours to the secluded camp. He wanted to help Belle, but he also wanted to see her in person. He had missed her, despite keeping in fairly close contact. She hadn’t called him at all during the second session except with the news of legal trouble, but he was sure she was just busy. Colton wanted to ask her to go out to dinner again, but was planning on waiting until she was fully back in New York so the camp wouldn’t be distracting her. He wanted to let her focus on her job while she had to, not worry her with thinking of him.

Arriving at the camp’s offices, a sweet young girl with unruly red hair welcomed him at the front desk. “Are you Colton?” she asked. “Belle’s waiting for you - her door is the second on the hall to the left.”

He thanked her, headed to the door labeled “Camp Director”. He knocked, entering slowly. Belle was typing something on her computer, but she smiled when she looked up and saw him. Her office was covered with what looked liked arts & crafts from campers, and the few chairs were occupied with stacks of papers. It wasn’t exactly untidy, but it wasn’t organized either. It was very Belle.

She finished whatever she had been typing, getting up from her chair  
and hugging Colton.

“Thank you so much for coming, I seriously appreciate it,” she said sincerely. “I can’t afford a local lawyer, because I hired an assistant, and I can’t have the camp be sued, because the camp is my life.” Colton knew it wasn’t Belle being dramatic, and that she was serious about her concerns. 

“Hey,” said Colton, “I understand. You need the assistant and you need the camp. If my ex-wife went back to court to say I was unfit to be a father to my son, I can assure you, I’d ask you to be a witness to my parenting.”

Belle smiled. “I would have to tell the judge you let him stay up late to play video games,” she teased.

He laughed, “That’s part of being a good parent, if only done occasionally.”

Belle got up from her chair and pointed at a drawing on her wall. “Baelfire did that one,” she said with a small smile. Colton walked over to look at with her. It was a fairly decent drawing of the camp’s lake with a sunset behind it. Colton had known Baelfire liked to draw, but he kept his notebook to himself for the most part.

Colton read the description out loud. “‘Coolest Camp Ever. To Ms. Belle. From Bae.’” 

Belle smiled, “He’s very verbose. I think he’s one of the only older boys who would sit still to draw during art.”

Colton stared at the drawing, realizing it meant something deeper. If he had felt comfortable enough with Belle to share his drawings with her, he must really like her. Baelfire had always seemed shy on the few occasions they talked about Belle. She must’ve made a good impression on him, just like she’d made a good impression on him. Well, she’d made a different kind of impression each of them, but it was nice to know that Baelfire and Belle mutually liked each other.

“This is great,” said Colton finally after a moment of silence.

“Yeah. He’s a wonderful kid, I’ve told you I know that,” said Belle confidently.

Colton could’ve swelled with pride. “I’m glad you think so,” he said. “Now, let’s go see this scene of the crime so I can help you.

Belle agreed, and they headed out of the main office and to the field where the kids’ played. Belle was watching Colton’s walk, noticing the slight limp. She wasn’t sure why she hadn’t noticed it before, but she supposed she had only seen him a few times, and even then, she was focused on what he was saying, not how he walked. A small physical disability wouldn’t stand out to her. They mostly walked in silence, and it was luckily a beautifully clear,  
warm day.

Belle began the story, “There was a camper named Jack at Session 2. Jack was consistently rude to counselors, mean to other campers, and disobeyed camp rules. He was in my office for going in the lake when he was supposed to be at games by the second day. He acted like the rules didn’t apply to him.”

“So it was a rotten kid.”

“Yeah. On the fourth day, he got on to the tire swing during free time. Jefferson was watching it, and I was watching from farther away. Despite Jefferson telling him several times that he shouldn’t stand up while he was swinging, he tried anyway. He flew off, landing right on his arm. His humerus cracked in two places, and he needed surgery.”

“Did you all take him to the emergency room, or did his parents?” asked Colton, walking around the tire swing that was now roped off from any future camper’s use.

“We took him. The parents sign emergency medical attention forms, as you know. We knew it was broken when his fingers turned purple and everything was swollen. We called his parents as we took him to the hospital, and they arrived in time to clear him for surgery. He’ll be fine in two months or so, but his parents were some of the worst people I’ve ever encountered,” said Belle with a shudder, joining Colton at the base of the tree the swing was attached too.

“They told me they’re lawyers would be in touch, that the camp was dangerous and our staff wasn’t diligent enough to work with children for a week. Because their son did something against the rules, that a counselor was actively trying to stop, they want to sue us for child endangerment. I apologized profusely and said that the camp would pay for the surgery, but I did remind them that they signed a release form for any injuries that might happen,” said Belle, finishing with a sigh.

Colton looked at her, squinting from the sunlight. “You’re right about that, they can’t sue for physical injuries. But if they go for the angle that the swing is a danger to children…”

“But it’s not,” said Belle. “Our maintenance guy, George, just tightened the rope. He even got on it himself for a few minutes to prove it wasn’t dangerous. Every other child to use it this summer has followed the rules and been.”

“So, the family doesn’t have a case.”

“Right, but they’ve called the state, and they’re going to be doing an inspection to make sure everything is up to code.”

“Belle, if everything is up to code, they still don’t have a case against you.”

Belle looked away, crossing her arms. “I guess. It’s just another stressful thing to worry about. If the news hears that the camp is under inspection, it’ll get written about. If they write about it, parents will think we are endangering children and that they shouldn’t send them here.”

Colton nodded, and Belle noticed he had rolled up his shirt sleeves. It was summer, but the man was still wearing slacks and a dress shirt.

“It’s hot outside. Let’s go back to my office, where it’s at least air-conditioned,” said Belle.

“Not going to argue with you there,” he said, walking the trail back with her.

A picnic table outside the office was occupied by a group of female counselors, who waved at Belle and Colton, giggling all the while. Colton waved back, smirking at Belle.

“Friends of yours?”

“Yeah,” she said. Loudly, she continued, “I hope you’re finishing those decorations.”

“Yes, ma’am,” called back Mary Margaret, winking at her.

Continuing into the office, Belle said, “They are great, really. Just very easy to get off topic.”

“I bet. Baelfire still talks about his counselor. David.”

“David’s awesome. He always gets great reviews,” Belle said with a smile.

They got to her office, and Belle sat in one of the free chairs across from her desk, letting Colton sit in her normal spot.

“What I think you need to do is contact the media first,” he said matter-of-factly.

“What do you mean?”

“Well, what’s your biggest method of advertisement?”

Belle shrugged. “Word of mouth and mail invitations, I guess.”

He snapped his fingers. “Right. You could get the word out by calling the news here for the last week of camp. Have them do a feature on how much fun the camp is while the inspection is going on, so they won’t focus on it. Spin it as a good thing, that the camp is always up to state codes and goes above and beyond to make sure campers are safe. You could even ask them to link their website to yours.”

Belle stared at him, wide-eyed. “That’s perfect. How’d you come up with that so quickly?”

He shifted. “Lawyers always think on their feet. The family doesn’t have any chance of winning a court battle, so I doubt their lawyer will even encourage them to take it to a judge. You’ll pass the state inspection with flying colors, and you’ll get some good publicity from it. Jack just won’t be back next summer.”

She feigned disappointment. “He’ll truly be missed.”

He smiled at her, and she felt like she gotten the wind knocked out of her. His smile still made her feel butterflies inside, and she had missed seeing it in person. 

“Now that that’s taken care of, what’s new with you?” he asked.

“Not much. I went out with some friends last weekend, which was fun.”

“I’m glad you got to leave camp for a bit, I know that can be tricky,” he said.

“Yeah, we called it a triple date plus one,” she said casually, looking at her fingernails like they were fascinating.

“Oh?” he asked, trying not to sound surprised. “Was David your date?” She had praised the man earlier, so that would make sense.

Belle broke into a grin. “David?” she said incredulously. “No! David’s dating Mary Margaret. One of the counselors Anna met up with her boyfriend, and I was there with a counselor named Will. Another counselor, Ruby, was there alone.”

Colton looked like he had an upset stomach. “So, you and Will are… dating?”

“No,” she said casually, “We’re not officially dating or anything. But we pair up a lot, and I know he wants to go out with me.”

“But…” began Colton, waiting for her response.

She bit her lip, like she didn’t know how to tell him. “But… I’m just so busy. I don’t know if I could date anyone right now,” she said quickly.

He nodded. “Right. Dating must be difficult, with this…” he said, waving his hand around at her cluttered office.

She sighed. “Yeah. You know, Colton I really do appreciate you coming out here to talk to me. I’ve been so stressed lately, but talking to you is so nice. You’re a really good friend to have.”

Colton shifted in her chair, checking his watch. “Well, it’s getting late. I think I’m going to get going so I can beat traffic.”

“You can stay longer, it’s no trouble, if you want to,” Belle offered, “you being here for two hours does not equate to that drive home.”

He shrugged. “I got to see you and help you. It was worth it.”

She walked back with him to his car, and took the long way to get back to her office. She had a lot to think about – especially his last comment, about the trip being worth it to see her. She had made a point to say she had gone out with Will, to see if that would elicit any kind of action on his part. A desperate move, really, a last ditch attempt to see if he was interested. He clearly wasn’t.

Arriving back to her office, she sat in her chair; the one Colton had just left. She laid her head on her desk, and she could still faintly smell his cologne.

A knock at the door disrupted her thoughts. Mary Margaret, Anna, and Ruby crept in. She looked up at them, and then sat up after they stared at her with her arms crossed.

“I thought you said he was out of the picture,” said Mary Margaret accusingly.

Belle sighed. “He was just here giving me legal advice. He’s a lawyer, you know, and I had to handle the Jack situation somehow.”

“Just legal advice? When you passed by us, you were looking at him like he was the greatest thing in the world,” said Anna.

Belle sighed again and covered her eyes with her hands. “I don’t know what I’m doing,” she said finally.

Ruby went around her desk and sat on the arm on Belle’s chair. “We just don’t want to see you get hurt, Bells. And we don’t want Will to get hurt either.”

“Will?” asked Belle.

“Yeah, Will,” said Anna, “the poor guy was so excited when you didn’t reject him last Saturday night, but now you’re fawning over that guy.”

“I was fawning over Colton?” asked Belle, sounding incredulous. 

“Yes, Colton,” said Mary Margaret, looking at Belle sympathetically. “Remember when I went out with Victor for a while, when I really wanted to go out with David? And David told me he had feelings for me right after my third date with Victor?”

The other girls nodded.

“Well, Belle, I think you really want to go out with Colton, but he hasn’t said he has feelings for you yet. So instead, you’re going out with Will. It’s not fair to him.”

“Colton doesn’t have feelings for me, though,” Belle insisted. “I told him I was seeing someone else, and he didn’t freak out or anything.”

“He’s an older guy, he’s a dad,” said Anna, “he’s thinking of his son first, and he’s a lawyer. He’s divorced. He probably doesn’t know what to think of you, Belle.”

Belle frowned. “You guys are all right. I think I should just swear off men for good.”

Ruby pursed her lips. “Maybe just until we’re back in New York.”

Belle finally smiled, and the rest of her friends laughed. “Let’s go get ice cream,” Anna suggested. “I think the mess hall is clearing out the freezers right now.” The women agreed it was a good idea, and headed out together for a girls night in.

\---  
Colton felt like kicking himself the whole way home. He’d let Belle slip out of reach. He hadn’t acted soon enough, and now she was starting a relationship with someone else. It would be okay, though. He didn’t need a distraction from raising Baelfire, and he didn’t need to worry about his feelings for Belle constantly. It didn’t mean anything that she blushed when she saw him, or how she couldn’t make eye contact when she told him about her date. It didn’t matter. He’d go home and call Baelfire to make sure he was having a good trip, maybe he’d even call someone from work to see if they wanted to go out. It would all be fine.


	5. Interviews

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A counselor tells Belle that they won’t be returning next summer. Belle decides to help Baelfire with a school project, and her and Colton finally talk about their feelings.

Session Three had ended with a bang. A good bang, really, the counselors and some sneaky campers had filled Belle’s office with confetti and balloons and jumped out at her to surprise her. August 28th was the last day of camp and Belle’s birthday. Turning 27 wasn’t a big deal at all, but it was sweet for everyone to remember.

It was now the 29th, and Belle’s office had mostly been picked up aside from the stray balloons that were still floating around. She was at her desk, finishing up some final reports before she would do a final check around the camp and leave it for her fall life.

A knock at the door distracted her from the document she had been working on. Looking up, she saw Will Scarlett standing in the doorway. She had been expecting Ruby to be asking when they could leave, but it was an okay surprise nonetheless.

“Can I come in, Belle?” he said, looking around cautiously. He wasn’t involved in the birthday theatrics, but he and Belle hadn’t had the chance to go out together in two weeks since the night out with the counselors. Will did stop by and help her with paperwork sometimes, which would occasionally lead to quiet late-night conversations while everyone else was asleep. Belle liked his company, but whenever he had talked about their relationship long-term, Belle would always try to casually change the subject. Someone else continued to be on her mind – Colton. He hadn’t called her since visiting her a week before, but he had texted her a picture of Baelfire standing in Times Square on her birthday.

Will took a seat in front of Belle. She glanced over at him, then back to what she was typing. “This will just take a second,” he said, his voice wobbly but firm.

Belle closed her laptop and looked at him. “What’s up? I thought everyone had headed out already except Ruby.”

He shook his head. “I stayed back. I wanted to tell you… I’m not coming back next summer.”

Belle frowned. “What? Why not? The kids love you, the counselors love you…”

He was nervously opening and closing his hands, Belle noticed. He finally replied, “Because of you, Belle. I like being a counselor, and I like the camp, but I’m getting tired of it. I came back this summer to give us one last chance, but I can tell you don’t want that.”

She must’ve looked confused, because he continued, “You’re distracted with someone else, I can tell. You should give him a shot. I’m really glad to have been your friend, Belle, but I think it’s time we go our separate ways.”

Belle was experiencing conflicting emotions. She was sad to lose an old friend, but at the same time, happy with the sort-of permission he had just given her to date other people. He was letting her go. Not that he had any real claim on her, but it was a nice gesture. The “someone else” she was distracted with, though, Colton? He was gone.

Belle gave a small nod and got up from her desk, walking with Will out the door.

“I’m going to miss you, Scarlett,” said Belle, giving him one last hug as they arrived at his car.

“Nah, you won’t,” he said with a grin, “We’re still Facebook friends.”  
\--  
Belle and Ruby had gotten resettled into their New York apartment fairly quickly. Belle worked part-time as a “selection assistant” at a local library, which meant she shelved books and helped at any programs with large audiences. Luckily, her hours were pretty flexible because the library supervisor had known Belle’s mother and understood the craziness of her schedule. Belle didn’t tell many people she also ran a summer camp. When she was home she was always checking her e-mails and having the maintenance people send her photos of any weather damage. Ruby was starting her first year as a preschool teacher.

With the packing and unpacking and training for all the new things at the library, Belle had hardly had a moment to sit and check her social medias or voicemails. On her first Saturday off of work, she was lounging on the phone, catching up on Instagram posts when her phone began to buzz. Colton Gold. She hadn’t heard from him in a couple weeks.

She clicked “Accept”, answering with a cheery, “Hey!”

She could hear Colton clear his throat. “Uh, hi, Belle. Baelfire is next to me. He wants to talk to you.”

Belle stood up, pacing around her small kitchen. What could Bae want?

“Hey, Ms. Belle! I’m back in school and I have to do a project where I interview someone whose job I like, and I want to do you, and my dad said you’re probably busy but I told him I didn’t know who else I could do, because we don’t have David’s phone number, and I remember you lived in New York, so I told my dad that he at least had to call you, and it can’t just be a phone interview because 10 points is a photo of me and the person, so you’d have to come over,” said Baelfire quickly, his words running together.

Belle could hear Colton grumbling in the background, telling Baelfire to slow down.

“Like, today?” asked Belle. Being interview by Baelfire would be fun. Seeing Colton might be fun.

There was unclear conversation on the other end. Belle smiled, hearing the mumbled discussion between the father and son.

“Hi, Belle. It’s Colton again. I walked away from Bae. If you don’t want to do this, you don’t have to, but he wouldn’t stop pestering me to call you…”

“Colton! No, it’s fine. It sounds fun,” she said with a laugh. “When do you want me to come over?”

“Well, we just ate lunch. Want to come by in about an hour?” he asked.

“And then she can stay for dinner!” Belle heard Baelfire yell.

“An hour works,” she replied.

Belle stopped her pacing and went into her room. It was probably time to take off her pajamas. Ruby was exiting her room right as Belle left hers.

“You’re awfully smiley,” said Ruby, blinking the sleep out of her eyes. Ruby was enjoying sleeping as much as she could instead of being woken up by the camp’s alarm. “Do you want to go get breakfast?”  
“Rubes, it’s 1o’clock. And I’ve got plans.”

“Plans?” said Ruby, raising her eyebrows. “With who?”

Belle shrugged and said, “Colton and Baelfire Gold,” humming a catchy song from the radio as she entered her room. She opted to wear tan shorts and a pocket t-shirt that had Camp Avonlea’s logo on it. If she was going to talk about camp, she might as well look the part.

\--  
Her heart was pounding as she knocked on their flat door. It was silly, really, to be nervous. Colton would probably let her talk to Baelfire and then she would leave and that would be that. Colton answered the door, giving Belle a small smile. He was still handsome as ever.

“Hey,” she said quietly.

He began to greet her in turn, but Baelfire had joined them at the door. “Hey, Ms. Belle!”

Belle laughed. “Hi, Bae. You can just call me Belle.”

He nodded. “Right. Okay, dad said we can do the interview in the living room. Let me go run and get my questions and pencil and stuff,” he said, running up the stairs to where Belle assumed his room was.  
Colton shook his head. “I told him to be ready before you got here.”

She shrugged. “Kids.”

He nodded. He was looking at her nervously, like he didn’t know what to say. He clapped his hands together, then motioned down the hallway. “Let’s get you situated.”

Belle sat on the couch with her legs crossed. Colton poured a glass of iced tea for her, and she thanked him. He perched on the loveseat opposite her.

“It feels like so long ago I came over here,” she said with a smile, looking around the living room. “Have you gotten to painting the kitchen yet?”

He sighed. “No, it keeps getting further and further on my list of things to do. So, uh, what have you been up to?” he asked, giving her a slight smile.

“Just getting back into the swing of things. I think I’m all unpacked, and the library keeps me busy.”

“And how are you and your boyfriend?” he asked casually.

She gave him a puzzled look. “Boyfriend? I don’t have one.”

His eyes widened. “You’re not with Will anymore?”

She began to shake her head, but before she could explain any further, Baelfire entered the room. He sat at the other end of the couch from Belle, his notebook and pencil in his hand.

“Okay, Belle, I’m just going to ask you some questions.”

“Alright,” she said with a smile.

“What’s your full name?”

“Belle Elise French.”

“That’s pretty. How old are you?”

“I turned 27 two weeks ago,” she answered.

“It was your birthday?” asked Baefire. “We could’ve called you and sang!”

She shrugged. “You didn’t know.”

“I think dad is 36… that means he’s 9 years older than you.” said Baelfire, looking between his father and Belle.

Colton nodded. “Keep going with the questions, son.”

Baelfire nodded, focusing his attention back to Belle. “Where are you from?”

Belle laughed. “Can I say Camp Avonlea? That’s where I was raised. My parents were from Australia, though. Queensland.”

Baelfire nodded, and Colton said quietly, “so that’s where the sometimes accent comes from.”

Belle smiled at him, and Baelfire continued his questions. “What’s your job title?”

“It is officially Executive Camp Director.”

He wrote it out slowly, having Belle spell executive for him so he got it correct.

“What’s your favorite thing about your job?”

She smiled. “Easy. Meeting kids like you.”  
He smiled back. “Cool,” he said, looking back at his question sheet, “when did you know you wanted that job?”

She paused. “Well, I didn’t want it, originally. My mom wanted me to have it. So, I took it. I don’t regret it at all. It’s a good lesson on how life can put you through situations you don’t expect, but you can handle them. And it’s a great job.”

Belle noticed Colton was watching her out of the corner of her eye, and he had nodded along to what she said.

“I’m just going to say that your mom gave it to you,” said Bae. “What’s the hardest part of your job?”

“I suppose it is disciplining kids who don’t follow the rules,” she said after a moment of thought. “Or it could be how busy it keeps me. It makes it hard to keep a normal schedule,” she said, her eyes flicking over to Colton.

“Alright. Could you tell me about a basic day as camp director?”

“This is gonna be hard to explain,” she said with a laugh, “well, I wake up, I do the morning alarm and announcements, I make sure breakfast runs smoothly and that all the campers are accounted for, I make sure all the counselors are getting the kids to the right stations, I make sure lunch runs smoothly, I make sure all the kids get to the right stations again, then dinner, and then I have to plan our differently nightly activities and snacks. And make sure the infirmary is clear, and that all the parent phone calls and e-mails have been answered,” she said, counting the activities off on her fingers. “I think that’s about it, give or take a few special occasions.”

“You’re superwoman,” commented Colton, looking impressed.

Belle blushed. “All in a day’s work.”

Baelfire nodded again, writing everything down to the best of his abilities. “Alright, the rest of these questions I just have to answer on why I think your job is important. And then I need a photo of us together,” he said, looking over at his dad to take the picture.

Pulling her phone out of her pocket, she handed it to Colton and scooted closer to Baelfire. She put her arm around him, smiling, and Colton snapped the photo. “Perfect. I’ll send it to myself. Thanks for your time, Belle.”

“No problem! That was relatively painless,” she said, standing from the couch.

“Wait, Belle! Don’t go. I have something to give you,” said Bae, exiting the room.

Colton and Belle exchanged a puzzled look, and Belle could tell Colton didn’t know what his son had planned. They both sat back down.

“You know,” said Colton, “I don’t know why he didn’t want to interview me. I’m pretty good at my job.”

“Yeah, but you’re no superman,” she said with a wink.

“Touché,” he replied.

“But, you are a super dad and a super lawyer. I just don’t think that’s as fun as working outdoors seems to a twelve-year old boy,” she said with a nod.

Colton nodded. “Well, thanks for coming over.”

“No problem. I was hoping I would hear from you sooner or later,” she said with a slight blush. He had always been in the back of her mind, but was afraid their last encounter had ruined it.

“Really? I didn’t think you wanted to see me, after…”

Belle realized he was talking about their last time seeing each other at camp. “Colton, I know I made it seem like I wasn’t interested in you at camp. I know I shouldn’t have even mentioned Will. I did that, because…” she stopped, her pulse quickening. He was leaning towards her now, watching her with attentive, caring eyes.

She was about to tell him, when Baelfire entered the room. Colton jumped back in his seat. Belle turned to smile at Bae. “What did you have to give me?”

He handed her a large sheet of paper. “It’s a drawing I did of camp. It’s like the one in your office, but bigger, and I wanted you to have one for your New York home.”

She grinned. It was similar to what he had given her at camp, but with more attention to small details. “Thank you so much, Baelfire, I love it. It’ll go in my room, and maybe I won’t miss camp as much thanks to your lovely drawing,” she said.

He blushed. “Thanks, Belle.”

Colton watched the exchange with a small smile. “That’s a great drawing, Bae. I wish you would show me your drawings.”

Baelfire shrugged.

Colton sighed, and then checked his watch. “It’s time for your karate lesson.”

“Do I have to go?” asked Baelfire, his voice taking on a slight whine.

“You made me sign up for a month of lessons, so yeah, I think so.”

Baelfire sighed. “I’ll go change clothes.”

“Thank you,” said Colton sternly, watching his son trudge up the stairs.

He turned to face Belle again. “Belle-” he began, right as Belle said, “Colton-”

They looked at each other for a moment, before Colton spoke. “You go first. It takes him a while to get the karate stuff on.”

Belle took a deep breath. “Okay. I scared you off, because I was scared. I was scared you didn’t like me back, that you didn’t have the same feelings I did. So, I kept acting like the feelings weren’t there when I saw you. But they are there. I really like you, Colton.”

He was staring at her, biting his lip. That was the most exposed and open she’d ever been to him. It was up to him to tell her to get out or not.

“Belle, I think that-” he said slowly, interrupted by the sound of loud footsteps down the staircase. He sighed frustratedly. “I’m going to walk him to class. Can you hang out here for like ten minutes? Just ten minutes, I promise.”

She nodded. “No problem,” she whispered. She complimented Baelfire on his karate uniform, walking with Colton and Baelfire out the door. She slipped back in when they were gone, so Bae wouldn’t know she had stayed.

Belle felt like an outsider. She was nearly tip-toeing back to the living room before realizing there was nobody else in the house. Unless they had a pet, but there wasn’t any indication of one, so she was alone. The hallway that led to the kitchen and living room was decorated with photos of Bae, but Belle noticed some areas had empty hooks where a photo must have been removed. “Baelfire’s mother,” she realized, “Colton’s ex-wife. She must’ve been in them.”

She smiled, moving through photos of Baelfire through his life, from a tiny bathtub photo to a recent one of him and Colton, grinning and standing next to each other at the zoo. He was a lucky kid, to have such a caring dad. Belle had never really known her father, but she knew how hard her mother worked to make things work for them.

After properly looking around the kitchen, Belle headed back to the living room and sat down on the couch. She pulled out her phone, noticing Ruby had sent her a bunch of texts asking when she’d be home and if they could go out for drinks later. Ruby overused emojis and it almost gave Belle a headache to reply that she should be home in an hour. An hour would work, right? Ruby replied quickly, making Belle promise she’d come home so they could get ready together. She was still looking for a summer squeeze, but Belle wasn’t sure she’d find one in a New York City bar.

Belle froze as she heard the door open. Colton was back. She moved her feet off the coffee table and sat up straighter, looking at her phone so he wouldn’t think she hadn’t done anything since he’d left. She looked up when he entered, giving him a tiny smile and putting her phone in her pocket.  
He looked like he was debating on where to sit.

Belle got up quickly. “Let’s just sit in the kitchen.”

“Brilliant idea,” he said, walking with her to the kitchen. They sat around the kitchen table, him across from her.

“Belle-” said Colton, right as Belle said, “Colton-”

They both laughed. “We’re really good at talking at the same time,” said Belle with a smirk.

He smiled. “Yeah. Why don’t I talk first, this time?”

Belle nodded.

He was nervously tapping his hand on the table. “Belle, I think I should start by saying I really like you, too. But I’m scared, too. The last relationship I was in was a ten-year marriage that ended in divorce. I’ve got a son who is almost a teenager. I’m not prime dating material for a girl like you. You should date someone your age, someone with no attachments.”

Belle shook her head. “I don’t care about the attachments. I don’t care that you’ve been divorced. I haven’t dated anyone since college. I love Baelfire, and I hope he likes me back. And I’m glad that you really like me back,” she said, quieter at the end.

“I do,” he assured her. “What do we do about that?”

“Hmmm,” she mused, “We could go on a date. I think that’s what people do when they like each other.”

He acted surprised. “Is it? I haven’t gone out with someone in ages, Belle.”

“I think I can show you how it’s done.”

He smiled. “I’m going to count on that.”

Before Belle could reply teasingly, Colton looked at the clock and Belle thought she heard him curse under his breath.

“What’s wrong?”

“Bae’s class is only half an hour long today. I have to pick him up, like, now.”

Belle walked with Colton to the door, and said, “I actually need to go home, too. I have plans with Ruby,” she explained.

“I’ll call you later, then, I guess,” he said, “About our… date.”

She grinned. “Our date. Yeah.”

Belle went on her tip-toes and kissed his cheek, and before he could respond, she was on her way home.


End file.
